Clinician or parent? Hand your device over with the score hidden, or send the test to their phone.
10 questions · about 2–3 minutes
For each one, pick the answer that fits you best over the past seven days. There are no right or wrong answers.
For anyone who is pregnant or has had a baby in the past year, partners included. Answer for the past seven days, not just how you feel today.
Your answers stay on this device. Nothing is saved or sent unless you choose to email the results. This screening tool is for educational and self-awareness purposes only. It is not a diagnosis. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 now, or call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262, free, any time.
- Questions
- 10
- Time
- 2–3 min
- Looks back over
- The past seven days
- Score range
- 0–30
- Cost
- Free
What the EPDS measures
- Loss of enjoyment and of the ability to laugh (questions 1 and 2)
- Self-blame, anxiety and panic (questions 3 to 5)
- Feeling overwhelmed, unhappiness that affects sleep, sadness and crying (questions 6 to 9)
- Thoughts of self-harm (question 10)
About the EPDS
The EPDS was developed in 1987 by John Cox, Jenifer Holden and Ruth Sagovsky at health centres in Livingston and Edinburgh, Scotland. They found that the depression questionnaires of the time leaned on symptoms like tiredness, poor sleep and appetite changes, which are a normal part of pregnancy and caring for a newborn. So they wrote ten questions that leave those out and focus on mood, enjoyment, anxiety and guilt.
Each question has four answers scored 0 to 3, for a total from 0 to 30. Seven of the ten are reverse-scored, so the first answer is not always the lowest. A total of 10 or more suggests possible depression, and 13 or more suggests depression is likely and a full assessment is needed. Question 10 asks about thoughts of self-harm, and any answer other than "Never" needs attention straight away, whatever the total.
Questions 3, 4 and 5 form an anxiety subscale, the EPDS-3A, which some clinicians use to spot perinatal anxiety. The EPDS has been validated during pregnancy as well as after birth, in fathers and partners, and in dozens of languages. It can be used free of charge as long as the source is cited.
How the EPDS is scored
- Each question has its own set of answers, worth from 0 to 3 points depending on the question.
- The answers are added together for a total from 0 to 30.
EPDS score ranges
The ranges this quiz uses to label a score. They describe where a score falls, not a diagnosis.
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Depression unlikely | 0–9 |
| Possible depression | 10–12 |
| Probable depression | 13–30 |
How to read the results
- It is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. The score describes the past seven days, and a label only says where that falls compared with the people the questionnaire was tested on. A word like "mild" does not mean a mild disorder.
- Look at the answers, not only the total. Which questions scored highest often says more about what to work on than the number does.
- Compare with yourself over time. Taking it again in a few weeks, or after starting therapy, shows whether things are moving. Compare each score with your own earlier one, not with someone else's.
- Talk it through. A clinician will ask what no questionnaire can: how long it has been like this, what else is going on, and how much it gets in the way.
- The safety question counts on its own. Question 10 asks about thoughts of death or self-harm. Any answer other than "Never" matters whatever the total, and is worth raising with a professional straight away. If you are having those thoughts now, call or text 988.
The EPDS compared with similar tests
| Test | Screens for | Questions | Looks back over | Asks about suicide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-9 | Depression | 9 | The past two weeks | Yes |
| EPDS (this page) | Depression in pregnancy and after birth | 10 | The past seven days | Yes |
| CESD-R | Depression, as a community screen | 20 | The past two weeks | Yes |
| HAM-D | Depression, including physical symptoms | 17 | The past week | Yes |
| MADRS | Depression, and how it changes in treatment | 10 | The past week | Yes |
| GAD-7 | Generalized anxiety | 7 | The past two weeks | No |
| OCI-R | Obsessions and compulsions | 18 | The past month | No |
| DASS-21 | Depression, anxiety and stress, scored separately | 21 | The past week | No |
Using the EPDS with clients
- Baseline, then repeat. Give it at intake, then at regular intervals, and compare each score with the client's own earlier ones to see whether treatment is working.
- Hand to client. Give it on your own device in session. The questions fill the screen with nothing else on it, and the scores stay hidden until you take the device back and press Show results.
- Send to someone. Send a link before the session by text or email. Tick "Ask for a copy of their results" and their results page offers to email you their score. They decide whether to send it. Your address travels in the link itself and never reaches our servers.
- Copy summary and Print. The results screen copies a one-line summary for the session note, or prints the results on their own.
- Nothing is stored. Answers stay in the browser. Results leave it only when someone chooses to email them, and that email is not kept.
- Billing. Giving and scoring a standardized instrument like the EPDS is commonly billed as CPT 96127, one unit per instrument. Payers set their own limits, so check before relying on it. At a pediatric visit, screening the parent with the EPDS is often billed as 96161 instead.
Where to go from here
- Perinatal Mental Health Therapy at Crown Counseling · in Brooklyn and online across New York
- Free resources for therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EPDS?+
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a 10-question screen for depression during pregnancy and in the year after birth. It was developed in Scotland in 1987 and is the most widely used perinatal depression screen in the world.
What EPDS score means postpartum depression?+
A total of 10 or more suggests possible depression, and 13 or more suggests depression is likely. Separately, any answer other than "Never" on question 10, about thoughts of self-harm, needs attention straight away whatever the total. A score is a screen, not a diagnosis.
Can I take the EPDS while pregnant?+
Yes. Although it was written for after birth, it has been validated during pregnancy too, and many obstetric practices use it at prenatal visits.
Can fathers or partners take the EPDS?+
Yes. Partners can develop depression after a baby arrives too, and the EPDS has been studied in fathers. Some studies suggest a lower cutoff for fathers, so a score just under 10 is still worth talking about.
What is the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression?+
The baby blues, which affect most new mothers, bring tearfulness and mood swings in the first two weeks after birth and then fade on their own. Postpartum depression lasts longer, feels heavier, and gets in the way of daily life and caring for yourself or the baby. It affects roughly 1 in 7 mothers and responds well to treatment.
Are my responses stored?+
No. All responses remain completely private and local to your browser. No data is collected, stored, or transmitted to any server.
References
- Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R. Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry. 1987;150:782-786.
- Matthey S. Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to screen for anxiety disorders. Depress Anxiety. 2008;25(11):926-931.
- Levis B, Negeri Z, Sun Y, Benedetti A, Thombs BD. Accuracy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for screening to detect major depression among pregnant and postpartum women: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2020;371:m4022.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Screening and diagnosis of mental health conditions during pregnancy and postpartum. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 4. 2023.